Happy Tree Town Chronicles, Book I: Shine
by xXMethereaperXx
Summary: Ever wondered how the town gained it's immortality, and how everyone found their homes? Well, follow us as we discover the secrets behind Lumpy's experiments, and how his work develops into curing death! Warning: Not for the faint of heart!
1. Chapter 1

Hello everyone! Well, I kinda hurt my hand, so I can't really play guitar, which means I get to write a story! Strings are dangerous when they snap...

Anyway, i've had this idea for a while now, so I decided to go with it.

This is book one of the Chronicles Of Happy Tree Town. I'm gonna give a bio of how I think all the characters arrived there, and how it became an city where no one ever dies permanently.

Meth, Nanette, Crystal, Lucy, and Ruby will be in it, for those of you who remember my OCs, lol, but i'm gonna start with the creation of immortality.

If you've read my old work, you'll know that I have a somewhat dark way of writing, but I still can't surpass deadliving. I'll keep trying though, ^^'

You will be surprised by the character's roles, but it will go back to normal later on.

Any way, here we go. BTW, Meth will have a role in this story, but he will have his own explaining how and why he is what he is.

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Book I: Shine

Prologue

Lumpy sat at his work bench for what seemed like ever before he noticed the loud banging at his door. Mumbling, he pushed away from his array of test tubes and beakers, before walking to a sink to quickly decontaminate.

He spent fifteen years of his life studying at the Institution of Medicinal Research outside of Oakvale, plus another three years apprenticing under Dr. Mitchell, a man who has made brilliant strides at curing several diseases few even knew existed.

Dr. Mitchell has also worked to help his son, Simon, who was diagnosed with minor brain damage at birth, achieve a normal life, and he was then diagnosed with asthma and given the nickname Sniffles.

Sniffles was always watching Lumpy as he worked in the doctor's laboratory, marking test samples and keeping records, and anything else that needed doing.

Sniffle was commonly known throughout the neighborhood, and often played with the children. So Lumpy was a little surprised this day to-

Well, i'm getting ahead of myself, all you need to know is that Lumpy is a very talented scientist who has spent the last five years of his life trying to find the cure for many deadly diseases and infections, including the cure for death.

He quickly climbed up the staircase and ran to the door. Sniffles, the blue anteater, was crying softly and tugged on Lumpy's sleeve.

"Mr. Lumpy, you have to come help! There was an car accident! Peter's wife and son are in trouble!"

Lumpy took a last look to the stairs that lend back to his workshop, but he sighed and followed the anteater to the scene of the trouble, but there wasn't anything that could have prepared him for what he saw.

[][][][]

Peter was a dedicated patriot, and devout father of one son with another on the way. He served two terms in the military, and returned home to his wife and son just last year.

Mary had met Peter when they were both nine years old. Mary was a badger, and the bear had to save her from some minor bullying and name calling. Well, they hit it off and they dated steadily through high school, announcing their plan to marry each other at Peter's open house. Things moved steadily after that, Peter being discharged after being hit with shrapnel, earning him the exit rank of staff sergeant.

The first time Peter saw his son in all his time away, he was already six, and recognized his father as if he hadn't ever left. He walked straight up to him and called him Pop, so that was what he was called. Tommy was the kid's name, and Pop was the proud father of him.

It was on this day, seven months later, that Tommy and his mother Mary were returning from a visit to the doctor, that her favorite song came on the radio. It was Shine by Pillar, and every time she heard it, she couldn't help humming along or singing.

She turned onto the road leading to the neighborhood where they lived, and bent down to increase the volume of the radio. Tommy began yelling from the backseat, which caught the attention of Mary.

Right as the radio's volume increased, she noticed the overturned truck and the driver waving for her to pass around.

She slammed the breaks and the car swerved to the right. They would have passed safely, but the car's Anti-Lock Braking System activated and began pumping the breaks. The car lurched back towards the truck, colliding violently into the under body's full frame, tearing their small sedan with the uni-body to shreds as it lurched sideways and rolled several times.

Herman always swore that those ABS systems took more lives than they saved, and he was right.

Oh, excuse me, I keep getting off track. Herman is known throughout the neighborhood as a handy man, a beaver who could fix almost anything, and it was this day he was coming home from the construction site where he worked.

Given the name Handy, he was thinking back to the discussion he had with the foreman about where he saw himself in the business. He hadn't really thought much on it and the foremen told him they were talking about promoting Herman to site manager.

Handy was happy about the news and hadn't known about the sliding before it was too late. His truck was flipped and he was standing outside of it without and injuries. He slid on his hardhat and began setting road flares around the overturned vehicle when he saw the sedan closing in.

He was relieved when he saw the vehicle passing safely, but heard the noise that would haunt him for the rest of his life.

The ABS motors pumped the breaks, sending the uni-body sedan into the full-framed pickup that exploded when the tank was ruptured by the impact. The sedan went flipping end over end, while the flaming wreckage of the truck flew at Handy, sending him flying into a street light.

He was laying sprawled out on the ground when the motor left the doghouse of the vehicle and landed directly on his out-stretched arms. He suffered the immense pain before blacking out completely.

The car, however, wasn't better off from the experience. Being less reinforced than the pickup, the roof caved in on the first tumble, merely inches from the frightened passengers. The remains of the car landed upside down several hundred feet away from the beginning of the accident.

The dash was crumpled in, but the firewall held strong, keeping the motor from leaving the engine bay and landing onto the driver.

Battered and bleeding, Mary slowly opened her eyes and feared what she saw. The car was totaled, but the backseat was missing. The entire car was folded like a crushed can, and the whole rear end missing.

The safety glass was scattered everywhere and she had full vision of the rest of the vehicle. The rear end was sitting, facing her as if some cruel joke was played on her. Tommy was still sitting in his booster seat that featured 'Splendid the Super Squirrel' fighting off the dangers of drunk drivers.

His neck was twisted in an impossibly comfortable angle, and the child was coughing weakly, his arms twitching weakly.

The sight of this horrible tragedy caused unbelievable stress, as if surviving an accident wasn't enough, she began to go into labor.

She was crying hysterically when Sniffles came running over. Mary heard the footsteps and tried to compose herself.

"Gee, are you okay?" Sniffles asked as he neared the wreckage.

"Stop Sniffles!" Mary yelled weakly before he came to a spot where Tommy would be visible.

Sniffles blinked, but stopped.

"Sniffles, I need you to go get Mr. Lumpy! Tell him it's important!"

"But," Sniffles began, "I'm really not supposed to go that far, my mommy will be mad."

"It's okay, you can do this. Your mommy won't be angry. But you have to hurry!"

Sniffles nodded and quickly ran off towards the end of the neighborhood.

Through some miracle the radio was still being powered and the console swung freely, the speakers still blaring the song.

She closed her eyes and began breathing heavily.

The band on the radio kept playing as if nothing happened, "Heaven let your light shine down..."

* * *

Well, there you have it. Sorry there wasn't much talking, it's only a prologue and there will be actual dialogue in the next chapter.

If you liked it, feel free to comment with anything I messed up on.

Thanks for reading.


	2. Chapter 2

Well, sorry this took so long to make, hadn't really had any inspiration towards this story, but now i'm gonna give it a try.

Also, if you haven't noticed yet, the story is being dictated to someone, but you won't find out who's telling it, or who's listening until the end of it.

Meth has to be introduced at some point in this chapter in order for it to make sense later on, and some other characters may come into play.

Let's get going.

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When Lumpy finally arrived to the scene with Sniffles in tow, he wasn't prepared for what he saw.

Of the two Ambulances that were already there, one was leaving in a blare of horns and flashing lights. Several of the neighbors had come out to watch the event unfold, but they all kept a wary distance. The driver and navigator of the remaining truck were both leopards, and seemed to be arguing with each other, while a third came running from the back of the vehicle carrying a bag.

In the waning light of the sun, the sky was turning a dark shade of purple, and Lumpy couldn't make out any of their features, and none of the twisted and mangled remains of the vehicle.

As they moved closer, however, the red and white lights of the Ambulance illuminated more than he wanted to see. When they moved past the car there was another paramedic talking quietly to the passenger who remained upside down.

"It got dark really quickly, Mr. Lumpy." Sniffles said nervously as they approached the ambulance.

The driver who had been arguing turned to face the two who were approaching.

"Stay back, we have everything under control."

Lumpy removed his wallet from his pocket and opened it before showing it to the paramedic, "I am a scientist for the Military, I am trained in C.P.R and Micro-Engineering. I can help."

The paramedic who had been carrying the bag dropped it and blew smoke from his mouth, "Ain't much help you can do. We have to wait for the fire department to show up with the jaws of life. The car's so crumpled, it's holding everything in place. The person trapped is seven months pregnant, so we can't cut the safety belt until we have a way to keep her from falling."

The driver shook his head and sighed, "Seven fires downtown. Seven! It's chaos. If I was a religious man, I'd say the whole world is going to hell."

Lumpy looked to the rear half of the car and saw the empty booster seat.

As if reading his thoughts, the driver nodded towards to his left, "The car spun on wet pavement and slammed into the overturned truck."

Lumpy glanced towards the still burning truck, then the spot next to it.

Following his gaze, the driver continued, "The driver of the vehicle was thrown into the air when the tank blew. He would have died when he hit the pole, but luckily he was wearing a hardhat. The motor from the truck landed on his hands and he was unconscious when we found him."

A loud scream from the remains of the sedan caught their attention, but after a moment it was replaced by the heavy breathing they had heard before.

"The badger had a kid in the backseat, they took him to the-"

Lumpy stopped him and turned to Sniffles, "Why don't you go get your father? Perhaps he can help in some way."

Sniffles nodded and ran off in the direction of his house. The trip would take nearly ten minutes one way, so he wouldn't be present should anything else happen.

The driver nodded at the moose, a new found respect now residing on his face, and continued, "The other ambulance took him with the beaver, but he didn't look too good."

Lumpy turned to where another scream escaped the sedan and the paramedic came rushing over shaking his head, "If we don't get her out soon we're gonna lose both of them. She's weak from hanging upside down, and the kid is nearly three months early. It'll take a miracle to save it."

Lumpy kept his gaze fixed on the car, and barely heard the driver yelling to call the fire depot again. Lumpy nodded slowly and ran toward his house.

"Where you going?"

Lumpy yelled back to the driver, "I have an idea!"

Upon reaching his driveway, Lumpy was sweating and out of breathe, yet he still saw the glowing form of a person standing in the middle of the street.

It seemed to be a teenage bear with long black hair. He appeared to be glowing due to the white color of his fur. He kept a cold gaze centered on the moose while simultaneously lifting his cigarette to his mouth, a task only achievable by a seasoned user of nicotine.

Lumpy, who had unknowingly settled to a stop on his driveway, had begun a slow approach to his house, half intrigued by the thought that he had met him before, half by the curiosity of what was inside the bag he had slung over his shoulder.

He nodded smugly and backed into the darkness until only three red orbs remained visible, one was the cherry on the cigarette, the others appeared in the same space his eyes were.

Overcoming the fear of turning his back on this remembered stranger, he hurried into the house and ran down the stairs to his lab.

Pushing the event from his mind for the moment, he returned to the task at hand.

There isn't anything he can do about the fire crew arriving any sooner, but maybe he can free the victim so the medics can leave to the hospital sooner.

In a flurry of movement, he quickly combines an ounce of nitroglycerin with a small dose of sodium chloride. He slowly tips the vial of the solution he made onto the base of his metal workbench and a small drip slides to the surface. In a puff of smoke, the liquid takes on the effects of an acid and the metal begins to rust and eventually disintegrate into a harmless powder of flakes.

"Hmm..."

Lumpy turns back to his desk and pulls over a potted plant he had growing under a black light and snaps off the stem of what appears to be a large and thick blade of purplish grass.

From the snapped end of the severed plant small drops of pure chlorophyll begins to drip out, and he quickly holds it over the vial, not wanting to waste any of his precious experiment. With only two more of his plants left, worth over two and a half years of his life spent on research, he should be more careful of their use.

Happy with the creation, he caps the vial and shakes it as he climbs up the staircase and leaves his house.

A passing glance over his shoulder shows the street to be deserted of anyone, excluding himself.

Arriving to the scene for the second time, the paramedics are now actively involved in trying to lift the remains of the vehicle.

After only budging an centimeter, if that, they give up and slowly allow the shell to fall back to its place.

Breathing heavily, the driver shakes his head as Lumpy approaches, "No use, too heavy to lift," glancing back, the driver whispers, "It's not looking good, the fire department is delayed another ten minutes, at least. If you have an idea, we better try it now."

Lumpy nodded, and approached the wreckage, "Get over here with your bag of tricks."

The paramedic returned to the side of sedan and placed his medical bag safely away but within his close reach.

Lumpy nodded and looked in through the window, "Okay, cover your face if possible."

The victim moved her arms slowly, however only one moved enough to cover her eyes.

Lumpy stood up and pulled the vial from his coat, "Okay, when I pour this on the metal," he says to the driver and navigator, "The car is gonna begin to rust. I need you to be prepared to lift her."

They nod and begin to quickly crawl beside the vehicle.

With a sigh Lumpy removes the cap from the vial and raises it over where he believes the victim is directly under.

"You have a shot of Tetanus in your bag?"

The paramedic nodded and replied nervously, "Yeah, but I'm gonna need something stronger than that when this is all through."

If Lumpy thought the joke was funny, he showed no sign of it. He tilted the vial and a good half of the liquid landed on it's mark. A hiss of screeching steel told him to step back and be prepared to help the others.

The exhaust was the first to go, it's sleek and shiny pipe turned into a brown spotted piece of fragile steel. Once that broke away, everything else picked up in speed. The steel floor pans began to sag inward before splitting and disappearing altogether.

The remnants of the uni-body frame took longer, but in the end succumbed to the power of the aging liquid. Looking to the back of the car, he realized he forgot one small detail. As the fluid entered the exhaust pipe, the angle of the vehicle caused it to run to the rear end and pool in a bent spot directly above the gas tank.

Lumpy removed his lab coat and slid it through the opening of the floor to protect the victim from flurries of rust, then began to punch in the remaining parts of the connected metal.

"We have to hurry, it's beginning to rust through to the tank."

Lumpy kicked in the rocker panel, which wouldn't rust due to the fact it was fiberglass, and assisted the driver in hoisting the patient.

Now free from the vehicle, they carried her to where the other paramedic had wheeled over a gurney when Lumpy was looking.

"Damn," said the driver while the rest began to load the ambulance, "I don't know how you did it, but you may have just saved her life."

Lumpy nodded and waved him towards the waiting crew.

"Well," came a familiar voice from behind him, "Good to see you still know how to save the day."

Lumpy turned to see Dr. Mitchell walking towards him, leaning considerably more, than he used to, on his cane. Now a man of nearly sixty-five, the anteater seemed spry enough to challenge that statement.

"Only when it applies," replied Lumpy, picking up his lab coat from where it had fallen.

Dr. Mitchell nodded and looked at the wreckage of the scene, "Seems this neighborhood has had it's share or excitement today."

Lumpy looked over the scene and the crowd of bystanders now returning to their homes, deciding there was nothing more of interest.

Lumpy walked toward the leaning lightpost and threatened the law of gravity by placing his weight against it.

Dr. Mitchell slowly leaned over the Sedan's flaked remains and picked up a pinch of the powder, "Still using some of my old tricks, eh?"

Lumpy shrugged and tossed the vial to him, "Had to use some of my remaining magic plant."

Dr. Mitchell chuckled at the joke and inspected the contents, "Ah, that's why it didn't harm her. The special chlorophyl tuned into the other organic life form."

The slow trickle of the escaping gasoline had turned into a river of the flammable variety. When the hole rusted wider, it had caused more to escape.

A quiet explosion caught their attention and they both looked in the direction of city to find a plume of smoke rising over a soft orange glow.

Dr. Mitchell shook his head and with a sigh walked towards Lumpy, "The fire department will be delayed even more. Shall we retire to my estate and discuss the days events?"

Lumpy nodded and they both began walking towards the gate at the end of the road.

"Actually," Lumpy began, slowing his pace so the doctor can keep up easily and talk at the same time, "I saw someone outside of my house earlier. He looked familiar."

"How so?"

"Well, he was about this tall, had black hair, and had to be in his teens. He was pure white, and had red eyes. The area around them were red, almost like he had painted himself, but it wasn't paint."

Dr. Mitchell stopped suddenly, "You don't mean,"

Lumpy nodded, "Yes, it appears to be the test subject from Black Rain."

Dr. Mitchell shook his head and began walking, "If that's so, I also have something to discuss with you, but let us wait until we are safely inside. Can't risk any spying neighbors listening in."

* * *

Well, there it is. Sorry it took so long.

Pop will be in the next one, along with some dialogue from Meth. And, we'll also find out what they're gonna talk about.

Thanks for reading, and thanks to all the reviewers!


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